i would like to check if the turbo actuator rods are moving
can someone point me in the right direction as where to look for them i have a TDV8

Easy to check.

Look under the car, Where the track rod comes out is a plastic cover with 4 plastic clips, pop these out with a screwdriver. Look directly up and you will see the actuator on the side of the turbo, there is a thin rod coming down towards you which will go up and down when you turn the ignition on or give it some gas...

Best way to check it is moving is to have someone turn the key on and off while you look up with a torch, I had to free mine off with WD40 and a bent wire coat hanger, fitted perfectly up to the little ball joint on the rod. Was really stiff and corroded round the joint, fine now.

Mine had split the intercooler pipe too so check those for any damage if you are concerned you have an issue. TDV8 Java Black, Overfinch 22s

Alex could you tell me the symptoms you had please what sort of noise alerted you to this

Stuck actuator bought on limp mode, yellow engine light and no power. Freed itself for a time but then kept sticking, quite disconcerting when it goes into limp mode in lane 3 of the motorway and drops to idle power! Pull over turn off then on again sorted it. I searched on here and read up about the WD40 trick, all shoved.

Split pipe happened straight after, no warning lights. Terrible (16mpg) economy and drop in power, loud noise under acceleration of escaping pressure. Drive with the window down and it is impossible to miss. Opened the bonnet and there was a thin layer of oil right under the pipe and an inch long split right above that! £30 later and a new pipe is on, I don't understand why LR don't recommend changing the intercooler pipes after 6 years in the service book, they had gone really hard in comparison to the new one, hardly surprising it split. For £60 and 5 minutes of time it is a really easy preventative bit of maintenance to change both.

Also cleaned the MAP sensors while I was doing the pipe, again an easy job. Search on here for more detail on that.

What symptoms do you have that are causing the concern? TDV8 Java Black, Overfinch 22s

Hi Alex its more a find the fault before it happens really i am getting a small rattle when under load so I'm going through a few possibilities

I've been thinking about this for a while now but if the actuator rods can stick and cause problems does it not make sense to apply something like WD40 once a month or so to try to prevent them sticking? It would be a pain to do but less of a pain than having to free off a sticking actuiator or worse still, to actually break down. Any ideas anyone?

Not sure about a rattle, heat shield maybe?? Would wait for one of the more knowledgable guys to come along on that one. If you are going down the preventative route I would take a look at the intercooler pipes and check their condition, I replaced the second one at the same time as a preventative measure.

Best thing for the actuators is exercise, mine had been sat for two weeks while I was on holiday and when I came back it had stuck, personally I wouldn't over do the WD as I would have thought that could just end up in a mess attracting more dust and muck. If I leave it for any length of time now I get my wife flick the ignition on occasionally to make sure they stay mobile. Crazy really but I don't want it getting stuck again! TDV8 Java Black, Overfinch 22s